EU weighs tougher trade stance on China

France’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Nicolas Forissier, has called for a tougher European Union stance on trade with China, arguing that Europe must “no longer be naive” in the face of competitive pressures. In an interview published on May 23, 2026, he warned that “the Chinese will not win anything” if they “destroy” Europe’s industry and market, framing the issue as a strategic challenge for the bloc.

His remarks come as EU institutions and member states step up discussions on how to respond to a growing influx of cheap Chinese products. Concerns centre on the impact of low-priced imports on European manufacturers and the perceived risk of overdependence on single foreign suppliers for key components and materials.

Forissier’s comments align with a broader push inside parts of the EU executive and national capitals to tighten trade defences and to reconsider how open the bloc should remain to sectors where Chinese firms are seen as highly competitive.

The European Commission has scheduled an orientation debate next Friday among President Ursula von der Leyen’s team to examine possible tools to shield the bloc from a glut of cheap Chinese imports. The session is intended to review available legal and policy instruments and to test support for new measures across the Commission’s leadership.

According to officials involved in the discussions, the debate will cover both established trade defence mechanisms and newer ideas aimed at reshaping supply chains. The outcome is expected to guide further technical work and inform the Commission’s stance ahead of upcoming meetings of EU leaders.

The focus on an internal debate underscores the Commission’s role in initiating and managing EU trade policy, while also reflecting increased pressure from member states such as France for a more assertive approach toward China.

One option under discussion is to oblige EU companies to diversify their suppliers by requiring that components be sourced from at least three different providers. Supporters of this idea see it as a way to reduce reliance on single foreign manufacturers and to make European supply chains more resilient to disruptions or sudden price shifts.

Other measures being weighed include targeted extra tariffs on strategic sectors such as chemicals. Policymakers are also looking at the possible use of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties to address what they regard as price distortions linked to Chinese imports.

These trade defence tools are already part of the EU’s legal arsenal, but the current debate centres on whether and how they should be deployed more actively in response to the latest wave of low-cost goods entering the European market.

Discussions on how to curb the impact of cheap Chinese imports are expected to continue beyond the Commission’s orientation debate. The issue is set to feature when the EU’s 27 heads of state and government meet in Brussels in mid-June, where leaders may take stock of options and signal their political priorities.

Any eventual decisions on new requirements for companies, additional tariffs or anti-dumping measures would involve further legislative or administrative steps at EU level. For now, the focus remains on building consensus over the scale of the challenge and the appropriate mix of policy responses.

The combination of public statements from national ministers and scheduled EU-level debates highlights a coordinated effort to reassess the bloc’s trade posture toward China, with potential implications for European industry, importers and global supply chains.